Quality of Life Comparison

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Brunei, you would:

live 2.1 years less

In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women). In Malaysia, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women).

be 10.6% more likely to be obese

In Brunei, 14.1% of adults are obese. In Malaysia, that number is 15.6% of people.

Economy

be 50.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Brunei, 6.9% of adults are unemployed. In Malaysia, that number is 3.4%.

make 62.9% less money

Brunei has a GDP per capita of $78,200, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $29,000.

Life

have 12.4% more children

In Brunei, there are approximately 17.0 babies per 1,000 people. In Malaysia, there are 19.1 babies per 1,000 people.

be 73.9% more likely to die during childbirth

In Brunei, approximately 23.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor. In Malaysia, 40.0 women do.

be 30.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Brunei, approximately 9.6 children die before they reach the age of one. In Malaysia, on the other hand, 12.5 children do.

Basic Needs

be 30.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Brunei, 76% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas). In Malaysia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas).

be 10.7% more likely to have internet access

In Brunei, approximately 71.2% of the population has internet access. In Malaysia, about 78.8% do.

Expenditures

spend 61.5% more on healthcare

Brunei spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare. In Malaysia, that number is 4.2% of GDP.

Geography

see 29.0 times more coastline

Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

Malaysia: At a glance

Malaysia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 328,657 sq km. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.